The Centre and the Maharashtra Government  yesterday stepped up preparations for the second edition of the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) to be held in 2027, with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis calling for close coordination between the two governments to make the event a bigger success.

According to an official government statement, a high-level delegation from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, led by Secretary Chanchal Kumar, met the Chief Minister in Mumbai for a preliminary review of preparations for the summit, which is scheduled to be held in the city next year.

During the meeting, the Secretary briefed the Chief Minister on the preparations and key initiatives being undertaken for the event.

Fadnavis said the inaugural edition of WAVES, held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai from May 1 to 4, 2025, was a resounding success.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given a “clarion call to take WAVES to greater heights as a global platform showcasing the world of films, music, gaming, animation, and storytelling, while fostering collaboration among artists and creators from across the world.”

The Chief Minister also urged the Central Government and his government to “work in close coordination to make the second edition of the WAVES an even bigger success,” according to the official statement.

Ahead of the meeting with the Chief Minister, Kumar also chaired a review meeting with senior Ministry officials to assess preparations for WAVES 2027.

The delegation also conducted a recce of the Jio World Convention Centre, which hosted the inaugural edition of the summit in 2025 and has been proposed as the venue for the 2027 edition.

The meeting was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, including Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi, Additional Secretary Prabhat, Director General (West Zone) Smita Vats Sharma, Joint Secretaries C. Senthil Rajan, Prithul Kumar, Dr. Ajay Nagabhushan MN and Dr. K.K. Nirala, as well as NFDC Managing Director Prakash Magdum.

Senior Maharashtra government officials, including Chief Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Shrikar Pardeshi, Principal Secretary (Industries, Investment and Services) Dr. P. Anbalagan, BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide and DGIPR Director General Brijesh Singh, were also present.